Chronic pain and depression live with me not the other way around!
"God uses pain and tribulation to make things right in our lives" courtesy of The African American Devotional Bible King James Version
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Monday, June 27, 2011

Money Saving Tips for Your Electric Bill During the Summer

Las Vegas summers are brutal...and so are our electric bills. Last year, our monthly average was $250. Not bad for a 3 bedroom apartment but we decided that we would make an effort this summer to lower that amount.

First we really cleaned the refrigerator coils that are underneath door. I check them for any dust bunnies and sweep and vacuum daily. It's also recommended to clean behind your refrigerator.

Our oven really heats up our kitchen and raises the temp so we tend to eat more salads and sandwiches. If we are using the oven it's usually in the late evening.

The experts say to keep your thermostat at 78 degrees. Our personal choice is to leave it at 75 degrees. We do have good room fans in each room that run 24/7.

When we do leave the home we raise the a/c temp and cut off the fans. I also keep the curtains and blinds closed during the day. In our home office I use a blackout curtain because that's the hottest room in the home. It helps keep the room cool. If you're like me and not a fan of those drab curtains I've noticed even Country Curtains sells attractive blackout curtains.

I did have our maintenance person stop by in late spring to do an a/c check. It was definitely well worth because he found a couple mechanical problems and fixed them. He also changed all the filters.

When running the washer and dryer we keep the door closed. Sometimes Marcus, our son, will wash clothes around 8pm. I've read that it's recommended to run your large appliances in the late evening.

This month, our electric bill was only $170! Now that's the results of great team work! For more money saving tips, check out this article.